Willow branches?

[T00tsyd]

My daughter and her husband have had to chop down a willow tree in their garden and this morning brought me some branches to use in Syd's cage. How do I make sure they are safe for him? How do I clean them? Is there anything I need to do?

 

[SailBoat]

Willow trees are fast growing with a heavy dependents on a water source (high water table) common low lands by a lake or stream /river. The wood tend to be on the softer side, so as long as you are good with their turning into small pieces a bit faster, have at it.

To use the branches, we remove all the bark from each branch. This greatly reduces /eliminates any carrying of bugs into your home. Wash using hot water and Original Formula Dawn and activity rise using fresh water. I really like to use bright Sunlight to dry the branches. Assure that the drying area is clean and dry. Turn to assure they dry quicker and that the Sun does its job.


Have Fun!

 

[T00tsyd]

Here in the UK we are in the midst of a heat wave. This is the time for sun drying certainly.

 

[wrench13]

Actually willow bark contains a mid, asprin like sedative/pain reliever, safe for parrots, and half the fun of a branch, for Salty at least , is stripping off the bark. You bake the branches in your oven for awhile at 200F to kill off any bugs on them.

 

[T00tsyd]

Ooooh I haven't started yet. Anyone else - shall I take best of 3?

 

[Owlet]

Both methods work really well so it's more based off what you want. Wrench's method provides not just a toy but a thing they can shred and possibly forage with if you,can stick some goodies in the bark.

Sailboats method gives a suitable perch without bark flying everywhere from little dinosaurs destroying it.

 

[MysticMagic]

I've never done it for birds, but I have for reptiles. I do try to get off as much of the bark as I can just because it's easiest to clean off any funguses or lichen that might be growing in the bark or underneath (you could probably leave a few scraps on the branch for your bird to peel off, but I wouldn't leave the entire branch that way). Then I soak it for a full 24 hours in a mixture of Dawn Soap and water in my bath tub, just to really disinfect it and wash away any nasty chemicals or tree sap that might still be around. After that, it gets rinsed off with fresh water until you think you got all the soap off. Then I put it in the oven at 250° for two hours (checking every ten minutes to make sure it's not burning or catching on fire) just to make sure it dries a bit faster. This is just optional, but I like to sand paper it down a bit at the end, makes any rough edges smoother.

Word of caution: if you think it was used around pesticides, I'd be extremely cautious. Usually I just don't use any wood if I don't know if pesticides were used around them, but I don't know who would spray down a willow tree so you're probably fine. Just a word of caution in the future if you find the perfect branch in someone's yard like I have.

 

[T00tsyd]

Thanks everyone - I have a plan!

 

[EllenD]

Definitely want to bake them to kill everything, the microbes, bugs, mites, etc. 200 degrees for 30-45 minutes...And I'd leave the bark on too, as that the fun of it for the bird! My guys love that, and the baking makes it safe!

 

[T00tsyd]

I thought I had a plan but they are too long for the oven so I'll be off to get the saw later.

 

[ChristaNL]

I've never baked branches before (used to do it with the halfrotten wood I got for my african beetles though, and the soil for the frogs)- I get mine at places free from insecticides, not near busy roads etc. and just give them a thourough rinse and scrub under a very hot shower (I do remove most of the leaves before transport of course).
Sundrying is great (if we have sun)-
but I like to give them the freshest possible.


(It probably depends what kind of pests you have around/ and not want in the house -> the most damaging beetles etc. go for hardwood anyway- so willow is relatively safe.
Oh and we build mostly in stone and concrete, so... the worst thing that happens here is an insect-damaged bookcase or something like that. That probably also makes a bit of a difference in dilligence.)

 

[MysticMagic]

I've never baked branches before (used to do it with the halfrotten wood I got for my african beetles though, and the soil for the frogs)- I get mine at places free from insecticides, not near busy roads etc. and just give them a thourough rinse and scrub under a very hot shower (I do remove most of the leaves before transport of course).
Sundrying is great (if we have sun)-
but I like to give them the freshest possible.


(It probably depends what kind of pests you have around/ and not want in the house -> the most damaging beetles etc. go for hardwood anyway- so willow is relatively safe.
Oh and we build mostly in stone and concrete, so... the worst thing that happens here is an insect-damaged bookcase or something like that. That probably also makes a bit of a difference in dilligence.)

I never really bothered much either in the past. I'd strip the bark off because it was for reptiles who wouldn't really appreciate it, and I was sanding one down once when a giant tick crawled out from a split in the wood and it made me think that I definitely don't want that going in with my animals. Now I really just do a long soak, bake only to dry.

 

[KissyBeak]

I've never done it for birds, but I have for reptiles. I do try to get off as much of the bark as I can just because it's easiest to clean off any funguses or lichen that might be growing in the bark or underneath (you could probably leave a few scraps on the branch for your bird to peel off, but I wouldn't leave the entire branch that way). Then I soak it for a full 24 hours in a mixture of Dawn Soap and water in my bath tub, just to really disinfect it and wash away any nasty chemicals or tree sap that might still be around. After that, it gets rinsed off with fresh water until you think you got all the soap off. Then I put it in the oven at 250° for two hours (checking every ten minutes to make sure it's not burning or catching on fire) just to make sure it dries a bit faster. This is just optional, but I like to sand paper it down a bit at the end, makes any rough edges smoother.

Word of caution: if you think it was used around pesticides, I'd be extremely cautious. Usually I just don't use any wood if I don't know if pesticides were used around them, but I don't know who would spray down a willow tree so you're probably fine. Just a word of caution in the future if you find the perfect branch in someone's yard like I have.

Quick question— are pesticides a concern as in they might have been absorbed systemically? Or are we worried about the surface? I’m able to get curly willow at my flower market but— I’m assuming since it’s probably farmed somewhere and is not edible, that they would use pesticides in growing them— I can ask but sometimes the vendors don’t even know.

I feel like surface chemicals and bacteria could be scrubbed, boiled, F10 off —
But if systemic chemicals are an issue then that’s obviously different, nothing to be done about that I suppose?

I’m also able to get natural or sandblasted manzanita branches there— but I have the same concern: I usually only buy branches, if they are specifically for birds I’ve seen other bird owners review it positively.

(I think it might be outside my wheelhouse to go chop down wild branches )

Thanks so much

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I would never trust what a vendor says about chemicals. They wouldn't intend to hurt a bird but they probably wouldn't know the complete history of the tree.